My First Experience with Chinese Therapy
Saturday was an eventful day. I spent the morning busy with the normal weekend duties- working on some laundry, chatting with friends on the internet, staying in my boxer briefs for as long as possible- a very average start to the day and weekend.
After a lunch from some nearby street vendors (Pineapple and these yummy vegetable sandwiches), Ty and I took off on our bikes to meet two of our Chinese friends at their university. They wanted to take us to a famous restaurant outside of the city that specializes in cold rice noodles. When we arrived at the university, we boarded a bus and rode for an hour to this very rural farm area on the edge of Xi'an City limits.
It was great to get out of the city, even though it had began to rain (and would continue to rain for the rest of the day). Ty bought an umbrella, I bought a hat that I saw a lot of the farmers wearing (I didn't want to look like a goofy tourist after all...). At the bus stop, we crossed a bridge and arrived at our destination. The noodles were GREAT and I definitely want to return to that restaurant again. After the meal, we got back on the bus for an hour.
During the day, we were invited to visit another Chinese friends house for dinner and we accepted (hoping our bikes would still be at the university the next day). At the house, we were met by Cari who just finished a baby shower for one of the teachers at my school. We enjoyed dinner and the company of our three Chinese friends and one hilarious, in-your-face Chinese mother. The mother works at the university that Ty and I were at earlier, teaching Japanese. This makes her fluent in Chinese and Japanese but she knows almost no English, which is difficult for us because there is rarely a moment of silence with her! She is very friendly though and excited to host foreign guests. This was our second time seeing her and first time to visit her home.
The dinner was very good and we received the traditional Chinese hospitality; your plate or cup would never be empty because the mother would be coming at you with a spoonful of something as soon as she noticed it was. Since the tea cups were so small, she would be there to refilled after almost every sip. After dinner there was a moment of silence as we all leaned back from the dinner. Adjusting my posture, I straightened up and pushed on my back to relieve some pressure. There were several thuds that came from the popping of cartilage in my back that everyone heard, but nothing out of the ordinary... or so I thought.
Upon hearing the seemingly normal sound of a back popping, the mother jumped from her chair as if I had just given a cry for help. She went to a nearby shelf opening a box and grabbing some tubes and equipment I didn't quite understand. Before I really knew what was happening, she had already rounded the table and proceeded to place a plastic suction cup on my back. What followed was a pumping that pulled my skin into that suction cup. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was about to receive my first experience of a traditional Chinese Cupping massage.
Although the events that took place were sudden, the mother made sure I knew (through some translation help of our friends) that I could quit at any time if I wanted. I figured, since the first one was already on, I should just go the distance! She continued to place suction cups on my back. I was trying to relax and see if I could find the desire of the suction massage but the sensation was very strange (exactly what you would imagine it feeling like- a Hover vacuum stuck on your back) and it was hard to relax with all your friends laughing at every flinch in your facial expressions! By the time I was finish, I had six suction cups on my back and two on either side of my neck. I felt like Frankenstein's monster or Keanu Reeves in the Matrix when he wakes up in the goo.After all the cups had been applied. I sat with them on my back for several minutes. During this time, I was thrilled to see that Cari was also getting to experience this unique form of massage. End the end, I received a more 'traditional' style back massage, which was a nice change of pace... but still a little awkward. As strange as the Cupping Massage was, I considered myself fortunate not to take part in the Chinese therapy that took place after. Several of our Chinese friends and the mother herself received the Chinese practice called Gua Sha. This make the cupping massage seem like a walk in the park!
My conclusion:
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| Immediately following my Cupping Massage- I know, GROSS! | The day after my Cupping Massage |
Hmmmm. I didn't notice anything but bruises.... and a lot of explaining the of the strange hickey-like marks on my neck (yes, even to my 5th graders). Maybe it did help with my toxins but a good diet will do that trick too with out as much discomfort. I will not be in a hurry to try again and I strongly advise anyone considering paying money for this procedure to do some more research before diving in. After reviewing the pictures taken that night, I'm confident I would have opted out of the procedure- yuck! I have added an album... if you really want to see- very strange.
Other News
Because of the outrageous-ness of the Cupping Massage, I wanted to clearly paint a picture for you. Other things that have been happen include a lot of bike riding by Ty and I. The weather continues to be a comfortable mid-60s to high 70s. We've been biking like its no body's business! I also finished my last Parent-Teacher Conferences at school, CRAZY! Time is running out! Here's the countdown:
Ty and My Move: 31 Days (not sure where we are moving to, we just got to vacate!)
Last Day of Class: 51 Days (only 37 days of class!)
Trevor's Arrival: 59 Days
Mom and Dad's Arrival: 87 Days
Departure for the United States: 96 Days!?! DOUBLE DIGITS! I can't believe it!!
